Blood Red Silver
by CuteCat213
Summary: Maka and Crona were doing just FINE. Sure they sported more bruises than not, and had to do things that made their skin crawl, but they knew how to deal with their parents. Now, parents arrested, stolen from their house, and taken in by the very school that did it, they're desperate to keep their heads above water. Then she meets HIM. AU, SoMa.
1. Chapter 1

0000

Maka looked down the empty hall warily and shut the door, putting the chair from the desk under the knob for lack of a lock, the only lock the door had was on the hallway side to keep them in, not to keep others out. The trembling form of her brother (Step-brother? Half-brother? It didn't matter with as much as they'd gone through together.) pressed against her back. She tried to be better, to be the brave one, but her shaking betrayed her: she was just as terrified.

It was worrisome when their parents got along _well_, when the sounds of their moaning and grunting leaked through the thin walls, when they violated the siblings' fragile sanctuary with that lascivious gleam in their eyes. But when they argued... When they got angry and actively sought out someone or something to take that rage out on... It was so much worse. The majority of the scars and injuries they'd gotten had been when their parents were fighting.

Crona's arms around her middle tightened and she placed her hands over them, "Maka, I'm scared."

She threaded her fingers through his, "W-we'll be fine. We know how to d-deal with this."

He nodded against her back, more reassured than she was. They both jumped at the sound of something -no, someone- hitting a wall in the hallway, "You useless bitch!"

Their fingers tightened until they turned white. Spirit, then, was the instigator this time. They flinched as one when their mother slapped the wall she'd been thrown into, "Is that all you've got, _dear_?" she sneered.

Crona whimpered against Maka's back. That wasn't Mizune's angry voice. This was worse than them fighting, the only thing that was worse than them fighting: when they wanted to 'play rough'. Crona went down with his sister, both of them still desperately clinging to each other, when Maka's legs gave out on her. They moved back until they were pressed against the side of the bed, tensed impossibly when the door shuddered with the force of a blow.

There was a huge crash and they clutched at one another, waiting for the blows to rain down. When nothing happened, they dared to peek and saw that the door was still there, still in its frame and, miraculously, still closed. The shouting out in the hall got louder, and for the first time in memory, it wasn't their parents shouting at each other or anybody yelling at them. It sounded like their parents were arguing viciously with someone that had... broken down the front door?

Then they flinched as the bedroom door once again shuddered from a hit, unable to hold in twin yelps. There was more arguing, too many voices to make out any words, before it got eerily quiet. It was less startling trying to knock the door off its hinges than the surprisingly gentle rap that sounded against the wood. They shared a confused glance before zeroing their eyes back on the door.

"Hello?" it was a woman's voice, a soft, gentle voice, as careful as the knock had been, "If you're in there, please answer me."

If she'd known he was going to, Maka would have tried to stop him before he could, but Crona called out, "H-hello?"

The voice sounded pleased, "Hello there. May I come in, please?"

"No!" Maka pressed back, squishing her brother against the side of the bed, not that he complained, shaking in terror anew.

There was some rustling on the other side of the door, "That's fine. Is it okay if I sit here outside the door?"

Maka fidgeted, "We can't stop you."

A slight pause, "Maybe not, but I'd still like your permission."

Crona clutched her side, whispering, "Maka, I don't know how to deal with someone not breaking the door in..."

_Me, either._ But she just held his hand reassuringly, she just wasn't quite sure which of them she was reassuring. The silence stretched, the woman on the other side waiting patiently until Maka felt compelled to answer, "You can stay."

"Thank you very much. That means alot to me."

"Why?"

The silence returned, "Do you know why I'm here?"

"No."

"Do you know what a Kishin Egg is?"

"A human that's strayed from the righteous path and started turning into a demon, their soul becoming the egg that could hatch a dark god if left alone."

"That's right. I'm surprised you know that. I'm impressed. Would you be surprised if I said that the adults in this house were Kishin Eggs?"

Relaxed by the talking, Maka tensed again, "Our parents aren't Kishin. The demons don't look anything like humans. Who are you? What did you do to our parents?!"

"Shh. It's okay. A person can become, for lack of a better word, infected, by the Kishin's influence. They can become Kishin Eggs without looking like demons, as long as they haven't consumed another human soul."

They were trembling again, "W-what did you do t-to them?"

"We took them away. We're from the DWMA, and it's our job to make sure Kishin Eggs don't hurt people. Have your parents hurt you?"

When she didn't answer, Crona took it upon himself, "Y-yes..."

The voice became... sad, "Then I'm so very sorry we didn't get here fast enough."

Maka didn't understand what made her say what she did, maybe it was how honest and genuine the woman had sounded, "It-it's not your fault. You'd have to have been ten years quicker at least."

If anything, she sounded even more sad, "That long? I'm so, so sorry."

Crona shook his head, "It's not your fault!" he looked at Maka, "I don't know how to deal with someone feeling bad..."

Maka looked back to the door, "Y-you never answered my question."

"Which question is that? I'm afraid I've forgotten."

"Who are you?"

"You're right, it was rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Medusa. What's your name?"

"...Maka...Maka Albarn."

"I...I'm Crona."

"It's so nice to meet you, Maka and Crona. Can you tell me about your parents? They weren't very happy with us and refused to talk."

Maka shifted uncomfortably, "Um... Papa, his name is Spirit."

"M-mother's name is Mizune."

The voice was so calm, "Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything is helpful."

The siblings shared a look before nodding uncertainly, "Papa's a Death Weapon."

"Mama's a Witch."

There was a sharp breath from the other side of the door, "Medusa?"

"Yes, Maka?"

"What's going to happen to us now?"

"You have to come with me. Not just now, I'll wait until you feel ready to open the door, but we do have to leave."

Crona shook his head, "I don't want to leave! Don't take me from Maka! I don't know how to deal with this!"

"It's okay Crona, no one's going to take you two away from each other."

"Y-you're not?"

"No. If you'd like, you can come live with me, together."

"Even the Little One?"

"Little one? What's that?"

Maka wiggled in place, "Our... our pet. Mizune wanted us to kill it, but we wouldn't. We let it go when she wasn't looking. We got punished badly for that."

"I'm sure the Little One can come live with us, too. You don't have to come out right now, but would you please open the door? I'd like to see the faces of the people I'm going to live with."

Maka didn't remember either of them saying they would go with the woman, but there was no reason _not to_, it couldn't be worse than where they were. Together, they got up and made their way over to the door, shaking hands reaching out to dislodge the chair. Crona went back to clinging to her middle as Maka took a deep breath and pulled the door open with a yank, flinching and closing her eyes in expectation of a blow that didn't come.

She winced open her eyes and saw the beautiful woman sitting cross-legged on the floor of the hallway smiling up at her softly, "Hello, Maka."

0000

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Maka folded her arms in front of her deficient chest (everyone always said how pathetic it was that her breasts were so small) hiding the white lacy bra that she was wearing. Medusa was gorgeous, with dark blonde hair and shining golden eyes; not at all like her own pale, ash-blonde hair as it brushed over her shoulderblades, or her own too-green eyes. She looked away, "H-hi."

Medusa slowly moved so she was resting on her knees, and took off the thing she was wearing, holding it out to Maka, "You're very pretty, Maka, but I think it's probably best if you had a bit more covered."

It was nothing like she'd ever heard before. It was almost intelligible: everyone she met always told her how ugly she was, how thin, how flat, how scarred... And they always wanted her to take things off, more and more off. This was the first time someone had ever said she was pretty, the first time someone had wanted her to put something on, let alone gave her their own clothes to cover with! She reached out and hesitated, watching the woman until she nodded reassuringly, then took the... the... she didn't even have enough experience with garments and outfits to know what it was.

Seemingly understanding the problem, Medusa spoke, "It's a cloak. Put it around your shoulders, there's a clasp in the front to keep it closed."

It was black, and long enough to cover Maka to her ankles, with a hood that looked like it had white snake eyes. It was almost... cute. And so soft. It wasn't scratchy or uncomfortable like the other things she had to wear sometimes. Her hand clenched around the wonderfully soft material between her fingers and she couldn't stop herself from rubbing her cheek against the fabric on her shoulder.

Medusa's voice was still quiet and soft when she spoke, "Where's Crona?"

Glued to his sister's back, he peeked up over her shoulder under the cloak, "Here." then ducked back down again. As long as Maka was there with him, it was fine. They protected each other, helped each other, as long as they were together it didn't really matter where he was.

The woman smiled, "Would please come out from behind Maka? I can't see you very well from there."

Slowly, so exceptionally slowly, Crona crept out from under the cloak and around to stand beside his sister, hugging her arm to him. He was wearing the long black nightshirt they'd found the last time they were outside, when their parents forgot to unlock the front door for the night. It went down to his feet, with a white collar and three buttons at the top.

It was Crona's, Maka had gotten the sweater they'd found the time before that, though it had more holes in it now than solid parts and was hidden under the mattress.

Medusa stood up, and Maka and Crona flattened themselves against the wall. The adult was careful, though, not to brush against them as she peered inside the room, "Is this your bedroom?"

They both nodded as she went past and looked around the small area. There wasn't much to look at: a desk with a chair, a bed with straps on it, a closet; and that was it. There were no lights, and only one window, that had bars over it. Shaking her head at the travesty, she turned back to the teens, "Are you ready to go now?"

After sharing a look, they nodded shakily, "Yes, Ma'am." She put a hand on each of their shoulders, mindful of how they tensed, and steered them out into the livingroom.

Maka and Crona pressed back against Medusa's hands as they were led into a room full of people. There were three of them, two men and a woman. The woman and one man looked like they could have been siblings, both tan skinned and dark haired, but the last man with silver hair didn't look like anyone they'd ever seen before.

Medusa's grip tightened slightly, "Maka, Crona, this is my team: Nygus, Sid, and Mifune. Guys, this is Maka, and Crona."

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	2. Chapter 2

2222

The school, the DWMA, was surprisingly quiet. It should be expected, she supposed, considering it was late summer and most everyone had gone home. Probably for the best anyway, she and Crona weren't exactly ready for crowds of strangers pressing in around them.

The teachers, or the ones they'd met, were rather nice. Mifune was quiet and calm, with a steady voice and seemingly endless patience. Sid was... energetic; yeah, they tended to stay away from him more often than not. Nygus was, in neutral situations, worse than Sid, but something about the two teens seemed to just send her into mother-hen mode; they tended to stay away from her, too...

But then there was Medusa, who was actually the school Nurse instead of a teacher, and whose suite of rooms they were sharing. Medusa was everything their own parents never had been: supportive, empathic and sympathetic, patient, respectful; a great listener, but she never pressed...

The siblings would have been highly suspicious of someone so seemingly perfect, were it not for having seen the woman's darker side when she'd met with the social workers who'd tried to take the pair from her the day after they'd arrived. The frigid look in the normally warm gold eyes and the shiver-inducing edge in her voice, contrary to belief, had comforted them, especially when it was used to keep the strangers in the sitting room from separating them.

It had been two weeks since then, and they were finally starting to settle in. Their parents being apprehended and held for being 'Kishin Egg Presumptives' by the DWMA, Maka and Crona were legally wards of the school, under the direct supervision of the staff as a whole, technically; and, in practice, Medusa specifically.

And then there was the fact that the two came part and parcel with a rather rambunctious adolescent dragon... Little One was kept in the series of large underground tunnels in the bowels of the academy, and Maka and Crona never missed a chance to go and see him daily now that they could. It was also a great way to avoid Sid and Nygus as they tended to be nervous around the scaly reptile that stood taller than the both of them together.

Only Mifune and Medusa were brave enough to search down in the tunnels for the siblings when they were with their pet. Mifune was still cautious enough to stand in the outer tunnel to watch, golden haired woman liked to stand leaned back against a wall with a smirk pulling at her lips and just observe the complete control the two young teens had over the great serpent and the fierce devotion the dragon showed to them both.

That was maybe another reason she got along so well with the duo: a mutual love of things with scales, or at least an appreciation of the others' love for a certain thing with scales.

One of the few things that weren't better than what they'd had before was the fact that Maka and Crona were forced to sleep apart, not just in separate beds, but in separate _rooms_! They'd never slept apart in their entire lives, and now they had been forced to bed in entirely different areas. It was school policy, and they had both come to greatly dislike the Headmaster without ever having met him. Thankfully, Medusa didn't comment when their close, catty-corner rooms weren't close enough even with the doors open and she found one of them in the other's bed when she came in to get them in the mornings.

The days had been packed full of activity since they'd arrived, from schooling (which they hadn't had much of and were sadly behind in: tutoring was daily) to clothing (they'd both gotten new wardrobes, Maka's consisting of things that covered every inch of skin she possibly could, and Crona solving the problem with one-pieces that covered him from neck to toes) to said rooms (Crona had insisted on having his painted black with deep pink slashes of color, and Maka had gone for an intricate mural painted over the entire room).

They'd also gone through grooming hassles, both getting haircuts, and Maka had taken to putting hers up in two pigtails to keep it from tickling her face as she worked, but she didn't want to get it cut too short where she couldn't take it down and hide behind it if she wanted. Crona had his shorn to his ears, not wanting the bother longer hair presented.

And they'd both been getting what could only be called 'social lessons'. This included such things as being able to speak without flinching with the expectation of being hit after every word, saying what they actually thought instead of what they thought the person asking wanted to hear, and the ability to actively speak without stuttering or trailing off into silence in fear of saying the wrong thing.

At the best of times, those particular lessons were going 'slowly'; at the worst, the siblings were back to talking to people through closed doors. There were hours at a time where they would be holed up in one of their rooms with Maka sitting cross-legged on the bed, Crona laying down with his head in her lap, threading her fingers through his hair while she read out loud from one of the many novels she'd gotten from the library. More often than not, these times would be accompanied by Lady Medusa sitting outside the room in question, leaned against the door, and commenting on Maka's speaking voice or the pronunciation of certain words and sometimes explaining situations in the books that were confusing.

There were also times when Maka went over their text books instead of novels. She was surprisingly good at schoolwork, she absorbed information remarkably well, despite the lack of it she'd had during her upbringing. They both knew basic math; language, grammar and such from the books they'd gotten, and they were naturally rather fit from all the unwilling exercises they'd been put through in their lives.

But there were, inevitably, problems that started to arise.

Maka and Crona were more like phantoms than children. They got up (left their rooms; they were often awake for hours before) when Medusa came to get them, attended a small breakfast with their guardian, and the others of her team when they were available, suffered through an hour or two of intense study (never speaking unless it was in answer to a direct question or to ask for clarification or more information), then _disappeared._ The adults would then spend the next three hours looking over the entire school for the renegade teens, Medusa and Mifune inevitably getting the short straw of checking the catacombs. Sometimes they'd find them, and sometimes not. The teens would eventually show up again for lunch, thoroughly entrenched in their shells where they'd answer no questions about where they'd been or what they'd been doing, suffer through another several hours of tutoring, then vanish again (this time certain to not be found) until dinner, then retire to their rooms. If at any point they were pressed too hard or couldn't take the stress of the current lesson, they'd run off to their rooms and not come out for the rest of the day.

It was plain to see that Crona wasn't getting the information from the books as well as Maka was, but somehow he managed to pass every test with identical answers as his sister, despite having him read something and ask him to repeat what he'd just read and have him give stuttering, half-mumbled, indecipherable answers. When school started and they began classes, they were more than likely to end up in different levels.

They were intensely reclusive, never starting a conversation, and very rarely participating in an active one if they weren't directly spoken to. They didn't make any move to befriend or include anyone else, refused to speak about the past (anyone's past, not just their own), and actively avoided all of the faculty that didn't include Medusa's team (and half of _them_ the majority of the time, too). It was more like trying to deal with feral cats instead of teenagers: they took food, accepted human presence (only reluctantly), but they never trusted; and retreated into an unreachable spot at the slightest twitch in the wrong direction.

And all of that led up to the biggest problem of all.

Sid sat back with a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced around at his teammates after the duo once again locked themselves behind closed doors, "If they're like this with just the four of us, what are they going to be like when school comes back in session next week?"

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	3. Chapter 3

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Maka woke up as she usually did: with the feel of rough hands on her body as she struggled into wakefulness to find Crona tossing and struggling in her arms. It took several moments to make the transition from sleep and to get her body under control; slowing her breathing and frantic heart enough that her voice didn't waver as she started to quietly sing a lullaby to ease her brother awake.

_What must it be like: to wake up from a nightmare and not immediately find yourself in another one? Will I ever know?_ It seemed her life had been a constant stream of nightmares. Hers, Crona's; their actual ones, and the ones their lives just resembled.

"Maka?"

* * *

Ugh, this was so uncool. Seriously, who spent their entire summer cooped up in school? "Lame!" Absolutely _nothing_ interesting had happened in three months. How was that even possible? And being Professor Stein's personal guinea pig for the whole break hadn't really improved things any. Soul's summer had, in two words, completely sucked.

Thankfully, Blackstar and the others were due back tomorrow. Then they could all get on with the next part of the freaking semester, when things were actually scheduled to get interesting. Why their school had jacked hours Soul had not a clue as most schools _ended_ their semester in summer, but not the DWMA; _they_ ended in winter on the solstice for whatever weird reasons Lord Death had schpieled during Orientation that he'd not listened to. But then, who was he to complain when it meant they only had six months of school? True, the break assignments were murder and counted for a third of the grade, but that was beside the point.

And despite words to the opposite that he'd said to both Blackstar and Kid, Soul had, in fact, finished his summer assignment. Well, it wasn't like he'd had anything better to do with his parents not bothering to even come home from whatever exotic country they fled to in order to avoid him. He couldn't have taken on Kishin assignments if he'd wanted to (which he did); despite mad sparring sessions between students, they hadn't even been introduced to the monsters yet in their classes.

So he was rather grateful for an end to this truly, epically boring, absolutely torturously patheti- "Ooff!"

* * *

She hummed as she headed towards the library, hers the only footsteps that could be heard; Crona choosing to stay down and play with Little One more while she ventured out to find some new reading material after going through all of their novels.

Maka made her way through the empty halls, content with the feeling of the near-complete solitude the DWMA provided. The castle was utterly massive, with so many small places and rooms to hide away that it tended to make her and Crona giddy; they had, on several occasions, broken into spontaneous fits of giggles at the thought. If they ever really wanted to, they could probably hide so well it would take _days_ for anyone to find them, and what an exhilarating and freeing thought that was!

The last month, despite the sometimes uncomfortable pressuring of the adults around, had been the happiest time of her life. She could eat whenever she wanted, just by venturing to the kitchen and asking the cooking staff for something to nibble on. She had access to all the books she could read, with a truly astonishing array to pick from. She could choose to not talk to people at all, and not have to worry about getting hit for it. She could lock -_lock!_- herself in her room, and not have anyone trying to break down the door!

It wasn't free, of course, but an asking price of _learning_ things- it defied fantasy. All she and Crona had to do was learn everything Medusa and her team wanted, behave, and do a little physical training. They didn't have to cook with the inevitability of burning something with the faulty stove and oven and get thrashed, or wash dishes that they were doomed to break and get beaten for, or dress scantily for cameras and people, or... Maka shivered. Well, they didn't have to do any of that; or at least they hadn't yet, and even if they did, it seemed they'd be treated better than they had with their parents.

What an amazing, wonderful, unbelievably great summ- "Ah!"

Maka landed hard on her backside and stared up in dawning horror at the boy she'd run into (who hadn't done more than stumble), her thoughts going into a terrified whir as she started to tremble. What if he beat her? What if he did something worse? (Why had she worn a _skirt_ of all things today?! She couldn't believe she'd even let Medusa buy it for her in the first place!) What if he told Lady Medusa that she'd run into him and she realized what a pathetic, awful klutz Maka was?!

_"You useless little bitch! Can't you even wash dishes without breaking something? Worthless little whore!"_

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry!_

He shook his head, "Uncool..." the boy looked her over with one sweeping appraisal (his eyes not even lingering contemplatively on her chest) and held out his hand. His crimson eyes narrowed when she flinched, but his arm didn't move, "Give me your hand."

Maka didn't hesitate to obey the order, slipping her hand into his and gasping when he hauled her back to her feet, "Th-thank you."

He shrugged and slipped his hands back into the pockets of his black and yellow jacket, "Just watch where you're going next time, 'kay, Tiny Tits?" she swore she heard him mutter 'New students' scornfully as he turned away.

Maka stared after him as he walked away, looking down at her hand and curling her fingers over her palm. _So confusing..._ She'd run into him, and then he'd helped her up instead of beating her; but then he ignored her thanks and insulted her. Her mind was buzzing in confusion, but the lessons she'd been getting from Lady Medusa had had more of an impact than the adults thought, and the words left her mouth before she could stop them, "My name is _Maka_! Maka Albarn!"

He looked back at her and smirked, "Nice to meet ya, Tiny Tits. I'm Soul Eater. See ya around sometime."

Her wince at what she'd said went unaddressed by the odd boy, Soul, as he disappeared around a corner. She snorted and turned away towards the library, "Jerk."

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	4. Chapter 4

**_Okay, people, author's note: This is my favorite chapter so far, and I'm going to be VERY UPSET if I dun get boucoup reviews for it. We authors work very hard on each chapter we submit, and positive reviews from happy readers are pretty much the only thing that makes it all worth while. You can make an author's day (or week) with just a few words (and it's the only thing that keeps this from being a THANKLESS, non-paying job). So if you like, let me know!_**

**_Author's note end!_**

* * *

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Soul waited just outside the doors in the courtyard as all the students gathered, some heading inside to their rooms, others, like him, meeting with their friends before heading in. He trusted Kid and the Thompsons to find _him_, not bothering to wade through the crowds looking for two brunettes and black haired boy: let them look for the beacon of white that tended to stand out in a gathering.

Blackstar, on the other hand, he could hear coming from a mile off, "YAH-HOOOO!" after three months, only the students that weren't in their class (and had been exposed to this enough to develop an immunity to it) looked up at Blackstar on top of one of the towers, "FEAR NOT! THE IMMORTAL ME IS BACK!"

Staring up at his best friend (most were of the opinion that it was sad that _Blackstar_ was the best he could do), Soul was glomped from behind and winced as Patty's voice screeched right in his ear, "FOUND YOU!" followed by, "LOOK, SIS, I FOUND HIM!"

Liz wasn't far behind her sister, staring up at Blackstar with her hands on her hips, "GET DOWN HERE, DUMBASS!"

Kid came up after his partners, "Hello, Soul."

The albino finally managed to pry the younger Thompson from his person, "Thank god, someone who remembers what an inside voice is. So, what was your break like?"

"Father couldn't spare the time to get away, so he sent Liz, Patty, and I to the Bahamas on our own."

"You don't sound too pleased about that. Any other kid would kill for that chance: a tropical paradise with two girls, surrounded by hot women in skimpy outfits, no parental supervision..."

"Our hotel put us on the 17th floor, Patty and Liz each chose different swim suits, and the majority of the woman seemed to have this unfathomable, irrepressible urge to wear the fashion travesty that is the sarong tied cockeyed around their waists."

"You sound pretty mellow for having gone through what you'd normally term an 'asymmetrical hell'. Also: fashion travesty?"

"Liz slipped some heavy tranquilizers into my food for most of the trip and Patty found them and mistakenly spiked my breakfast this morning. And I wouldn't have anything against the pointless wisps of material but for people's continued insistence on tying them on the _side_! Ugh! _Hideous_."

"...Sounds like your tranqs are wearing off."

"I think I'm developing an immunity to them. I'd worry about becoming addicted if I weren't a Shinigami. As it stands, they're just steadily losing all effectiveness; they'd have done so sooner if I'd willed it and hadn't frankly been shamefully clinging to them to get me through the break in that asymmetrical _hell_! I can't tell you how good it is to be back home at my wonderful, perfectly symmetrical DWMA."

Liz, having apparently given up on Blackstar and letting him conduct his rant unopposed (while Patty cheered, their non-classmates stared, and Soul, Kid, and all the others that were unfortunately used to this behavior tuned him out) chipped in with, "Well, if it's any consolation, Patty had enough fun for all of us."

Soul looked at her, "Didn't you have any fun down in the tropics, Liz?"

"Are you _kidding_ me? Between keeping Patty from drowning looking for fish and pearls or suffocating after _insisting_ hapless beach-goers bury her -_completely_- in the sand, and keeping Kid doped up enough to keep him from figuring out how to slit his wrists at the same time so they'd be symmetrical and hauling his boneless ass around? Oh, yeah, I had a _blast_. I was tempted more than once to Manifest and just shoot myself in the head."

"...Ooookay, note to self: don't invite you or Kid on any vacations, they seem to make you two dangerously suicidal."

"What about you?"

Blackstar chose that moment to jump from the top of the tower and land beside them, "Yeah, man, how was your summer?!"

Soul thought about the run-in he'd had with the new girl the day before that was sadly the highlight of his summer, "Man, it couldn't have been less cool if I'd tried. _Nothing_ happened. Boring as hell. What about you?"

"Dude! It. Was. EPIC! I've seriously upped my already outstanding assassin skills! I-" the starting bell cut him off, "-'ll... tell you about it later, I guess. Man, the _worst_ timing!"

Maka was, to put it mildly, freaking _out_! Lady Medusa had calmly informed them over breakfast that the summer break was over and the school was about to be filled with rambunctious teenagers with the ability to Manifest weapons from their bodies. Their lessons had been postponed while Medusa and the others got ready to start their School Year jobs. Maka and Crona had locked themselves in their rooms and refused to come out.

After the first hour, curiosity had become too much for the female half of the pair to stand and she'd gone out to watch the droves appear. It was her job as the oldest to check out the situations so Crona would know how to deal with them, so she decided some recon was in order. What she saw almost sent her running back to the safety of her room: there were _alot_ of people down there (and one apparently insane boy in particular that was on one of the towers to her right).

She made an unusual snap decision as the bell rang and knocked on Crona's door, "Let's go spy on one of the classes, that will give us information on how to act around all these new people."

The door opened and her brother appeared, instantly latching onto and clinging to her sleeve, not questioning her decision. Crona never questioned Maka's choices, she was older, smarter, more experienced, and he trusted her to make the right choices for the both of them. He kept close as they ventured into the seemingly empty halls, looking for -in Crona's opinion- trouble.

Soul took his usual seat and kicked his bag under the desk, looking around but not spotting the girl he'd run into. Not that he should have been overly surprised, she was probably in a different class.

After they all filed in and settled in their seats, Professor Stein rolled in, without bothering to take attendance, and spun around to face them, "We weren't supposed to do this until tomorrow, but since everyone completed and turned in their assignments, we'll do it anyway. It's the lesson all of you have been waiting for and bugging me about: today we'll start learning about Kishin Eggs." a resounding cheer went up and Stein rolled his eyes, but his lips had a tilt, "Yes, yes, now settle down. I'm sure at least some of you are wondering about what I have beneath this cover, here." he paused and pulled the red fabric away, every student in the room gasping, "As I'm sure you've all figured out: _this_ is one of the creatures we hunt called Kishin Eggs. Who can tell me what a normal human soul looks like?"

"Bright blue-white, right?"

"Yes, that's correct. And what does a Kishin's soul look like?" there was plenty of muttering, but no one was brave enough to put up their hand and risk being wrong, "No one? Well, then let's find out, shall we?"

And that's where everything went wrong. Stein approached the cage with his arm out in preparation to manifest, and the Kishin threw itself against the side, tilting the whole thing. It was bad luck that one of the anchoring chains snapped and the cage hit the floor, causing the Kishin to hit the weaker top with enough force to break it. Students panicked and started screaming, but the scorpion-like humanoid demon ran from the room without going after any of them.

Stein sighed and reached up to adjust his bolt, "Everyone keep calm." the classes were all in session and easily locked down, all he had to do was call Medusa and... huh. Stein grabbed his phone and speed-dialed the nurse, "Medusa, where are your little darlings at this moment?"

"..."

"Why? Oh, because I may or may not have accidentally let a Kishin I had caged on display for my students escape the room."

"...!"

"You don't need to damage my hearing, and those are very hurtful words."

"... ... ... !"

"Well it's hardly my fault you can't keep track of them."

"_**!**_"

"Alright, alright! I'll help, just stop screaming. No, I need that particular body part. The more time you waste yelling at me, the lower the chances of your little darlings surviving their stroll." he hung up the phone and looked back to see the entire class leaned forward in an attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation, "Well I have to go help hunt the Kishin down. I've been informed that I'm to order you all to stay here in the classroom and lock the door behind me when I leave." As expected, only about a third of them listened to him, the rest following in the hopes of seeing either a Kishin killed, a good battle, or to answer the original question he'd asked; and he shrugged, "Have it your way."

Medusa reduced her cellphone to a pile of scrap in her hand, hopelessly crushing it like she wanted to do with a vital piece of anatomy on a certain "Ignorant, reckless, risk-taking fool of a man!"

She let the electronic waste fall to the floor, mind furiously working on where her charges could be since they weren't in their rooms. She shouldn't have gotten so attached to them; they were just another set of Kishin-victim orphans. But _she_ was the one who'd taken their parents away from them, parents whom they'd asked after despite the near surety they'd felt that they would be beaten, or worse, for asking. The parents who'd kept them locked in a small room with a tiny window that had bars on it, that had a bed with straps to tie down slender struggling limbs.

_She'd_ been the one to take them from that, the only thing they'd ever known, and they had depended on her. Crona and Maka looked at her with as close to trust as they could get, counting on her to give them information, to protect them from strangers who'd try to separate them, trusting her choice in letting people into their rooms to paint them. Medusa had never had someone who needed her the way they did, the closest she'd come was her patients and her team; and that wasn't the same thing. And now they were in danger because of Stein's stupidly reckless actions.

Death help him if Maka or Crona were hurt before she got to them...

Soul followed more because it'd be boring to wait around and do nothing in the classroom. Finding the Kishin was guaranteed to be outstandingly cool, but even if they didn't, the venomous looks Nurse Medusa was sending their Professor promised an equally amazing argument: Stein and Medusa's clashes were notoriously epic. The blonde woman had appeared out of nowhere to join the chase (which seemed to _him_ to just be running down random halls, but what did _he_ know?).

Whatever method it was or what it was called, it seemed to have worked if the sound of fighting up ahead at the next intersection meant anything. Soul ran dead into Stein's back when the professor stopped in his tracks, his eyes lit up in a way that most sane people would find worrying. Soul held in his grumbling and leaned around the teacher to see what had stopped the adults cold, his eyes widening at the scene before him.

The girl he'd run into the day before, _Maka_, was _dancing _with the Kishin, the thing's claws glancing off the metal of her scythe with clear ringing 'shing's. She twirled around, keeping her back to the Kishin's front and constantly looking over her shoulder in the most unorthodox fighting style he'd ever seen. Then he saw why when the tail swung around, aiming for her stomach.

Maka glanced up at it, then focused back on the pincers trying to rip into her throat. Soul tensed and was about to step in when Stein held his arm out to stop him, then he heard the ringing again and saw why. Someone with pink hair had stepped face-to-face with Maka, their hands over their shoulder, holding the deadly stinger at bay with a black sword. Then they slid past each other like dance partners, and Maka used the haft of her scythe as leverage to get airborne as the pink haired one clashed with the claws.

At a signal Soul didn't catch, the pink haired one held the sword up in both hands, "Scream resonance!" the sword began to vibrate and a high-pitched noise rent the air, all of the students clapping their hands over their ears.

The Kishin tried to do the same, its pincers coming up ineffectually on the sides of its head. Unnoticed, Maka had taken the aerial advantage afforded by her weapon to kick off of a wall and gain significant height, and thanks to her partner, the Kishin was now wide open. Maka readied her scythe and descended in a beautifully lethal arc, "Your soul is mine!"

Light glinted off the blade for an instant before it was all over. The demon froze, Maka in a perfect crouch froze, her partner with the sword no longer screaming froze; time itself seemed to pause for a moment, not a single sound breaking the stillness. Then the Kishin collapsed and dissolved into nothingness, its soul left floating in the air, a magma-like, glowing red.

Blackstar next to him muttered, "Awesome." in an awed voice.

Soul smirked as he agreed, "Definitely the coolest first day ever."

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	5. Chapter 5

**While I admit I didn't get as many reviews as I was hoping. (While I know all authrors think that, almost nine hundred veiws and only nine Re's over the course of the fic...) No matter how you look at it, 1% is a failing grade -_-'' BUT! For my loyal followers, the next chapter!**

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5555

Soul was the closet to Stein, so he was one of the few privy to the conversation going on between their teacher and the school Nurse; or, rather, the chewing-out of their teacher _by_ the school nurse. Without immanent threat to the student body, it seemed, Nurse Medusa was more than willing to ream Stein right there in the middle of the hall, and in front of those unthreatened students...

"_What_ in the world were you thinking, you foolish man?! No, don't answer that; I already know: you _weren't_ thinking!" she put a hand to her temple, "I don't even want to _contemplate_ how many school strictures you broke with this pig-headed stunt."

Stein adjusted his glasses and cocked his head for a moment, "Twenty-three."

"What?"

"School strictures I violated: twenty-three."

Blackstar took a step back at the feral growl that came from the blond woman's throat, her hand dropping to her side and curling in a way that suggested she was about to Manifest the segmented whip she was rumored to be so proficient with in order to strangle or otherwise harm their professor.

Soul caught Maka looking at him from the corner of her eyes and smirked at her, giving a discreet thumbs-up for her battle skills. She blushed and looked away.

Whispers in the crowd behind revealed students were putting bets on one or other of the adults for what seemed the immanent show-down they were about to have. Then a knock came from the door behind them and Medusa, looking confused, reached past Maka and her pink-haired partner to open it, "...Yes?"

A dark head peeked out, "Um, is it safe to come out now?"

"Yes. But who are you, and what are you doing in a utility closet?"

Soul saw Blackstar's eyes widen as he moved forward to get a better look at the student. She bowed, her ponytail falling over her shoulder, "Gomen nasai. I'm Tsubaki, and I'm a new student here in Nevada." she straightened and looked down the halls, "I, um, seem to have gotten lost looking for my room... and my classes... and the main office. I was just trying to find someone to help when I ran into that-that thing, and they saved me, pushing me into the closet and telling me to stay quiet until it was gone. It, um, _is_ gone now, yes?"

The blonde's eyes flickered to the floating soul, "Yes, it's gone. I'm the school Nurse, Medusa; you aren't hurt, are you?"

Tsubaki waved her hands in front of her, "Oh, no, I'm perfectly alright! All thanks to, oh, I didn't even get your name."

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to get to know them later. Now that everyone's alright and the danger is past, it's time to get back on schedule. What's your dorm and class number?"

"Oh! I'm in East 207, and Class A-1."

"That's my hall. Welcome to the DWMA, Tsubaki; meet your classmates." the woman gestured to the gawking students crowded in the hall. She raised her voice, "Well, I think that's enough excitement for the time being, class is dismissed for the rest of the day. Blackstar, please go and let the others in class know."

"Got it!"

"Liz, Patty, please show Tsubaki to her room."

They both nodded, "Yes, Ma'am!"

"Kid, take that to your father, if you would." she said, nodding towards the Kishin soul.

"Of course."

"And as for the rest of you, please return to your rooms. Dismissed!" the students started to disperse, quickly when loitering was met with a stern glare. Soul was the last one to leave, blending in with the walls when he was still and quiet, and was present when Medusa rounded on Stein, "And _you_. _You_ stick to the syllabus from now on. And give my regards to Lord Death when you go make your report about this fiasco to him."

The stitched man waved his hand dismissively, "Yes, yes." his gaze settled on the pair behind the nurse for an uncomfortably long time, "Nice to meet you, kids."

Medusa opened her mouth to say something else when Stein turned to go, but he had already turned his back. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him leave, "Insufferable man." she muttered.

Soul caught Maka's eye and straightened from leaning against the wall, "Nice moves, there, Tiny Tits."

She shifted from foot to foot, "Th-thanks, I guess...?"

Medusa rounded, saw Soul, and turned her fearsome stare on him, "What are you still doing here, Mr. Evens?"

Soul rolled his eyes, "You said class was over, that makes this a free period, which means I have the right to go wherever I want. And it's Soul Eater, teach. Seriously, so uncool."

"I've seen you naked and put you back together from pieces, Soul: I'll call you by your last name if I so choose."

He winced, "Come on! Seriously?!"

"Seriously. Why, I remember when I had to treat you last winter, just before Break..."

Soul held his hands up, "Okay, okay; I'm leaving!" he tossed one last grin Maka's way, "Later, Tiny Tits."

Maka smiled back and was even so impudent as to wave, "Bye, Soul _Evens_."

His grin turned to a grimace, "Argh!" Soul couldn't help smiling at hearing the girl's laughter as he walked away.

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	6. Chapter 6

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Medusa sat on the chair across from the settee where Maka and Crona were perched, "Why didn't you two tell me that you could Manifest?" she'd been prepared to place them in several of the NOT classes. Aside from the mastering internal weapon portions, they were very like any highly renowned, if very exclusive, boarding school.

The two fidgeted, "We didn't think it was important."

"Maka, uncontrolled weapon powers can be extremely dangerous, to oneself and others."

"But they're not uncontrolled!" Medusa cast her a quelling look and Maka shrunk back, "They're not..." she whispered.

"I think it's time we had a long talk. Silence is no longer an option; this was potentially dangerous information you intentionally withheld from me. Now let's start at the beginning: when did you first Manifest?"

"I don't remember." a stern look had her shifting about, "When I was... eight, I think?"

"And you, Crona?"

"About the same time."

"And why is it you think that you have sufficient control of your powers? Most Manifest around puberty and are a great danger to themselves and others until they come here to learn control."

Maka squirmed, "Well... It was just another skill."

"Like running or posing." Crona added.

"We just never thought about it much. Mama and Papa used to rent us out, to clean other people's houses..."

"Or to have pictures taken-"

"-hunt Kishin-"

"-and... other things..."

Medusa looked back and forth between them with dawning horror twisting her stomach at this newly revealed aspect of the children's lives. "Your parents _rented you out_?"

"Uh-huh. They'd get money for having us do things for people they knew. Sometimes if we got back too late at night, we'd be locked out of the house, and have spend the night with the Little One to stay warm."

"Or look for new clothes, or food!"

Maka nodded and smiled at her brother, "Yeah! Remember that burger place just around the block?"

"Burger Palace."

"Yeah, that one. I liked the little pies we could find. There was even enough food thrown away that we could eat until we were full and bring back some to feed the Little One."

Crona nodded, "I liked the french fries, they were so good... I didn't know how to deal with the patties..."

"I know, you like the veggie stuff without the meat."

Medusa didn't like the sound of where this was going, "Excuse me. Are you saying you... ate out of dumpsters?"

"Uh-huh... Is that bad? Do you think it was stealing? I mean, they threw out so much food, and it wasn't like anyone else wanted it."

The nurse covered her mouth with her hand, controlling her expression at the anxious looks the duo was giving her, "No, I don't think anyone would have minded."

Crona poked his forefingers together, "We used to find toys, too. You aren't going to take them away, are you?"

"Is that what was in those bags you had hidden in the Little One's cave?" The pink haired boy nodded, "Those are yours, and no one's going to take them from you." she forcefully wrenched her mind back on track, "When you were rented out, you battled Kishin Eggs?"

Maka grabbed her brother's hand, "Yes..."

"Have you ever eaten one?"

The siblings glanced at each other before looking back at her and hesitantly nodding, "We have."

Medusa didn't want to ask the next question, she really didn't, for fear of what she would have to do if they said yes, "Have either of you ever devoured a human soul?"

Maka and Crona immediately blanched, their faces scrunching, and shook their heads vehemently, "No!"

"Never!"

"I don't know how to deal with human souls..."

"Mama and Papa made us eat the Kishin Eggs, they said we needed to be stronger so they could get more money for us."

The golden blonde let out a relieved sigh. These children had gone through far too much, they didn't need to be victimized by being forcefully turned into Kishin against their wills. She sat back and crossed her ankles, "Well then, I have only a few final questions. Would you two like to enroll in the Especially Advanced Talent classes here at the academy instead of the personal tutoring you've been getting and train to become Death Weapons for the school? Or you could join the Normally Overcome Target classes, that train to control their powers so they can live normal lives.

"I think joining either of the classes; EAT or NOT, would be good for you. It's a chance to learn more about your powers and your bodies, and to make friends with people of similar ages and backgrounds."

The teens straightened in surprise and looked at each other. "Do we have to?"

"No, you don't _have _to. You could continue on in the same pattern of the last month, but I think this would be the better choice. You could try, and if it doesn't work for you, I'll pull you out for personal training if that's what you want."

They stared for several minutes, then Maka turned back to her, "I, um, think we can handle it."

Medusa smiled, "I'm glad you're giving this a chance. So, which classes will you be taking?"

Crona and Maka's hands tightened, and with a determined look, they answered together, "The-"

6666


	7. Chapter 7

**_AN: Okay, probably not the most agonizing cliffhanger ever, but here's the resolution!_**

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7777

Stein waved at the open door, "Class, meet the newest students who couldn't bother to show up for orientation yesterday. Don't just stand out there, come in and introduce yourselves like you were told."

Soul perked up as Maka came in, her pink-haired partner close behind, with the black haired girl from the day before bringing up the rear. The raven went first, bowing to the whole class, "I'm Nakatsukasa Tsubaki. Oh, sorry, I mean, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. I'm from Japan and just transferred in. I can Manifest a smoke bomb, kusarigama, and katana; which I was told to not show until later. I hope you'll treat me well." she bowed again.

Maka took a deep breath, "I'm Maka Albarn, and I'm a scythe Meister."

The pink-haired one stared resolutely at the ground, "I'm... Crona. I wield a sword."

Soul appraised the pinkette, "Is that a boy or a girl?"

Blackstar shrugged next to him, "No idea, bro."

Professor Stein pointed up into the seating, "Take your seats there."

The three made their way up and sat together. Tsubaki leaned in closer, "Thank you for saving me yesterday, Maka."

She smiled at the kind young woman whose soul just radiated good will, "No problem, Tsubaki. You're more than welcome." Even Crona nodded and smiled shyly.

"Hey there, Tiny Tits."

Maka jerked and spun around, "Soul?!"

He smirked and raised a hand in a half-assed wave, "Yo."

Next to him, a black haired boy with odd white highlights waved, "Hello, there. I'm Death the Kid, and this is Liz-"

"Hey."

"-and Patty."

"Hello!"

They turned at the thump on their desk, "And _I_ am the wonderful, the terrific, the immortal Blackstar! Bow before my greatness!"

Professor Stein's bored voice came from down in the front of the room, "Blackstar, detention for disrupting class."

The long haired brunette, Liz, rolled her eyes, "Ignore him."

Soul looked at her, "Hey, that's a new record for longest time without getting detention yet."

Kid nodded, "Yes, at least he waited until school started this year."

"All the way to the second day to boot."

Maka kept a wary eye on Blackstar. She had learned over the years that the bigger the ego, the sharper the slap. Tsubaki was more accepting of the situation, "It's nice to meet you all."

Soul pointed to Crona, "So who's this?"

Maka looked over at the pinkette, unknowing how her face softened, "This is my brother, Crona. Crona, Tsubaki, this is Soul Eater." Maka noted the momentary look of gratitude Soul gave her for using his preferred name.

Crona took only fleeting looks at everyone, choosing to stare primarily at the floor, "H-hello..."

The teacher spoke again, "Blackstar, get off of that desk; class is about to begin. Don't make me give you a second detention."

"Aw, come on, Stein..." the blue-haired boy whined.

"5... 4... 3..."

"I'm off!" he shouted, not wanting to get another punishment, especially not one of Stein's 'special' ones. He sighed and flopped in the chair on the other side of Tsubaki, crossing his arms and ankles (which were on the tabletop), "Stuffy old coot."

"I heard that. Feet off the desk."

"Yessir!" he said straightened. Tsubaki giggled and Blackstar beamed at her.

Stein rapped on the blackboard and everyone settled down: Crona on one side of Maka and Tsubaki on the other so she was nestled between them; and Soul, Kid, Liz, and Patty just behind them in the row above.

"Now pay attention, class. Who can tell me how a Kishin Egg happens?"

There was silence, so Maka took the chance, raised her hand, and answered, "It's when people eat the souls of other humans. They lose all their humanity and become demons that can evolve into a dark god if left unchecked."

"Exactly right."

A snide voice came from several rows back, "Hey, does that mean Soul Eater is part Kishin? I mean, between his looks and his name..."

Sporadic laughter came from around the classroom, Soul clutched his pencil so tight it threatened to snap. Maka stood up with her palms flat to the table, staring straight ahead, "A person can also become a Kishin without ever eating another soul by straying from the path of righteousness and committing acts of evil. From great evils such as murder and rape-" her gaze flicked towards the back of the class, "to the lesser ones like petty bullying."

Stein blinked wide-eyed at the ash-blonde, "_Very good_, Maka. That particular situation is called Kishin Influence Infection, and is highly advanced material. And Donna, you'll be serving a special detention with me later this evening for disrupting class, and for baseless libel against a fellow student."

Maka sat back down, glowing at the praise, the accomplishment turning to embarrassment when Tsubaki leaned forward, "That was very brave of you, Maka."

Her face heated, "It was nothing."

"It was something to me. Thanks." She started and looked over to see Soul's crimson eyes boring into her, her cheeks flaming painfully.

Maka faced forward again and crept down in her seat, reaching up to undo her pigtails so she could hide behind the curtain of her hair, "You're welcome..."

7777


	8. Chapter 8

8888

"What's wrong with you, Liz?" Kid asked on the way to the cafeteria. "You've been strangely quiet all day."

"It's the new kids. Something about them has been bugging me all morning."

"Well what is it?"

"I don't know, okay?! But it's been driving me nuts!"

"Do you think there's something wrong with them?"

"Wrong? No, nothing like that. _Off_, weird, yes; but bad or suspicious, no. I just feel like I'm forgetting something really important, and I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell it is."

Patty jumped in with: "I like Maka and Crona, they were always nice to us!"

Liz tripped over her own feet and would have fallen on her face if Kid hadn't grabbed her, "That's it!"

"What the hell, Liz?!"

"Sorry, we have to go. We'll see you after lunch. Patty, let's go!"

"Coming!"

Maka and Crona chose a small table for two in a quiet corner, tensing when they were approached, "I just figured out where I recognized you from."

Maka blinked, "Um, hi... Liz, right?"

Liz bent down and leaned on the table, watching Maka closely, "That's right: Liz. It's short for Elizabeth, and this is my little sister, Patricia."

Maka swallowed, her face paling, "Elizabeth and Patricia... Thompson?"

"The very same. And _you_-" she pointed to them, "are the Black Dragon siblings Maka and Crona. I knew I recognized you from somewhere: you were streetrats just like us."

"I remember when we first met, when we fought against one another in the Pits."

Liz rubbed her knuckles absentmindedly, her voice wry, "Yeah, I recall. I hit _walls_ with more give than your gut. I didn't even want to _know_ your fitness routine."

Maka finally came out of her stupor, "We thought you were _dead_!"

Liz rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Yeah... sorry about that. Alot's happened."

Patty sat extremely close to Crona, "Hi, Crona!"

While scooting away incrementally, the pinkette smiled and nodded, "Hi, Patty."

"Will you make me another giraffe?"

"Sure, do you have any paper?"

Patty unwrapped her burger and gave him the wrapper, then watched without even blinking as he cleared a spot, laid it out, and started folding. Less than three minutes later, Crona handed her the origami animal. Patty snatched it to her chest with surprisingly gentle haste and squealed in glee, "THANK YOU!" she shouted before hugging him hard enough to leave him breathless.

"Y-you're welc-come. Can't breathe..."

Maka giggled while Liz outright laughed at their siblings. She pulled a chair from a near-by table that was vacant and sat down, "How have things been with you guys?"

"Just... average. Last month our parents were Reaped and the school took us in. And here we are..."

"We got taken in, too. Kid found us showing off in the street and decided to bring us to the academy to get 'edumacated'. We came back to look for you, but couldn't find anything."

"It's probably for the best. What could we have done, anyway? Left?"

"I guess you're right... But we still missed you."

"Same here. Liz, we had a memorial and everything."

"I'm really sorry, Maka. Patty, if you ever want him to make you any more giraffes, he needs to be alive, and that kind of requires oxygen."

The younger girl finally let Crona go, his face a mild shade of blue that immediately started looking healthier, in favor of setting her new sculpture on the table and admiring it from every possible angle, " 'kay."

Liz shook her head and held out one of her hamburgers to Maka, "For oldtimes' sake? I got one for Crona, too; french fries instead of meat."

Maka took the offered food, "Thank you."

Liz shrugged, "No problem. You shared with us when we needed it, it's only fair to return the favor."

They ate slowly, savoring both the chance to do so, and the camaraderie of old friends. Maka laid her arms on the table and rested her head on them when she was done, "This really is like back then. I can almost close my eyes and smell the fryers and asphalt." she perked up at a thought, "Do they have mini-pies here?"

Liz started laughing, then reached behind her and brought out a small rectangle box, "You really haven't changed at all. Here, apple-eater."

Maka blushed and accepted the box, "Sorry..."

The brunette shook her head, "Don't be. It's been years since we've seen each other, it's good to indulge in the past. You were always easy on me when we were in the ring together, and shared your food spot with Patty and I when we needed it most that winter. Hell, if it hadn't been for you two, we might have frozen to death long before Kid ever found us."

Patty nodded, "Where's the Little One?" she craned around like they might be hiding a massive black dragon in the middle of the cafeteria, "I want to play with him again! He was so cute and warm, like a giraffe!"

Maka giggled, "He's down in the catacombs. Still just as warm, but he's alot bigger now."

"So... like a big Little One? Or just a Big One?"

"Nope, still Little One, just... bigger."

"Ahhh." Patty nodded sagely, like it all made sense now (which, to her, it probably did).

Crona finished his fry burger and the folded wrapper made its way into his pocket for future use, "I can take you to see the Little One now if you want. That's okay, right, Maka?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I mean, class doesn't start again for about forty minutes. Don't be late." she added nervously. They had yet to find out what Medusa or the other staff's punishments were, and planned to keep it that way if it were at all possible.

Crona shuddered slightly, "Right." Patty stuck to his side like a leach, loudly telling him about everything that had happened since they'd last met while he led the way out.

Maka smiled after them, then turned back to her old friend, "Liz..."

She nodded, "Yeah, I can tell you everything about the DWMA."

The ash-blonde let out a relieved breath, "Thank you."

"Just returning the favor. I'm sure you probably already know the layout, so I won't bother with that. The politics are like this..."

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	9. Chapter 9

**For those that aren't aware, by beloved beta (Zo) and I have a joint account on here, and at present we have a Super-Drabble response (that's on-going, about all our favorite Soul Eater characters) on said account (dualinsanities222, which can be reached through my Favorite Authors' page) and I beg you to check it out. It has multiple pairings (so far including) SoMa and KidStar. Please check it out and let us know what you think (and maybe find a new pairing you'll adore)!**

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999

She looked out from behind the guillotine, "You called for me?"

The deathly figure turned, "Oh, yes, Medusa, come in! Sorry to pull you away."

She straightened her clothes and approached the dais, "I was just checking my supplies, Lord Death. You needn't worry."

"And..."

She planted her feet and held her arms still behind her, "Fully stocked for the new school year. No concerns."

"What about your... 'other' supplies?"

Medusa tensed, but forced herself to relax. Death Weapon Meister Academy had changed alot in the last several decades, but what she was and what she did (medically aside) was still to the day a touchy, rarely-mentioned subject. She, a Witch who'd turned her back on her own kind, who'd become a _nurse_, who _healed_ at the very school that made a habit of _killing_ Witches! ...She who had, nearly a century ago, been taken in as the personal apprentice of Lord Death himself...

"Those supplies are nearly stocked as well. I can always use more frogs' eyes, but Eruka always cringes when she sees me in fear I'll ask her for them personally."

"The poor thing. I'll see what I can do."

"It's not easy being a Witch sometimes, she'll eventually have to get over it; but I thank you all the same. Was that all you needed me for?" Of course it wasn't. If that had been all he wanted, he could have called her through any one of the infirmary's many reflective surfaces, even to discuss her Witch's workings. It was merely her way of asking him to get to the point.

"No, it's not." The death god chuckled, "You haven't changed abit, my dear."

"Glad I could amuse you, Teacher. Now what did you _really_ need me for?"

"I want you to look at something." he handed her a folder, "Do you know who Maka's father is?"

"Hmm? No, I didn't get a chance to even see his face. I had to deal with an opposing Witch, I had no time to think about... Oh, that's right, Maka said he was a Death Weapon. Did you know him, Lord Death?"

"Yes... And I'm not the only one."

When he didn't further elaborate, she turned to the file, opening the folder and perusing it's contents. She nodded at the picture that was revealed. Yes, she vaguely recollected the redhead now, but she couldn't recall any significant meetings that'd have taken place during her school years.

"Spirit Albarn..." _Why does that name sound familiar?_ "Weapon: Scythe. Partner: Franken Stein." _No, that's not it; I never met Stein until after I became a nurse. _"Graduated with honors... yada, yada, yada..." she skimmed down through the information for anything that might look familiar or spark a memory. _Huh._ "Previously married to Ka-" the folder fell from numb fingers, her hands covering her mouth, "_No_." _That's _where she recognized him from.

_"Medusa! You'll never guessed who asked me to prom!"_

_"Mmm... Sid?"_

_"No! And also: ew... We're practically related, how could you even say that?"_

_"You were saying? Something about that awful dance I have no intention of attending? So who's taking you? Oh, I know! That annoying boy who's been stalking you all year!"_

_"Well... Yes..."_

_"...Seriously? Kami, what were you thinking?"_

_"That he's persistent. ...and kind of cute?"_

_"*sigh* Alright, what's his name?"_

"Spirit Albarn..." Medusa bent down and picked the folder back up, "Lord Death, the information in this file; is it accurate?"

She looked up as he nodded, "It is."

"Morgana forgiv- Oh, I apologize."

"No, no, I understand; it's quite alright."

She held the pale yellow folder in her hands, a reminiscent smile on her face, "I haven't spoken to her in years, since that fight we had after graduation..." her best friend, her partner all through school, the closest thing she'd had to a sister, her Kami. _I can't believe she got married._ She frowned, then went back to the file, skimming again, a heavy feeling growing in her stomach. She couldn't find the word she was looking for: divorce wasn't anywhere on the page.

_Don't. Control yourself. It's possible for two people to split up without divorcing._

She closed the pale yellow folder and looked up, "This file is incomplete, it stops barely a year after he graduated. You have another one?"

"Yes." he handed her a different folder: a red one. Medusa tensed.

Yellow files were information files; surveillance, records. _Red_ files were incident reports; police reports, interrogation results, court files. Hesitantly, she opened the folder.

"No!" her scream resounded around the Death Room as Medusa fell to her knees, hands curled against the damning paper, "Kami, no!" Her tears fell on the shaking picture of a mutilated, unmoving body. Medusa closed the file and clutched it to her chest, "Y-you called me he-here for a reason. This-" she shook her head, "This can't be it."

"No, it's not..." he held out one more file. A blue one: last will and testament.

The red folder joined the yellow one on the floor as she desperately reached for the blue one and opened it, a diary falling out into her lap, ignored as she read the paper in front of her, "In the event of my d-death... Kami..." _In the event of my death, I leave all my worldly possessions, and all responsibilities I may have at the time of my death, to my best friend: Medusa._

999


	10. Chapter 10

**Hard to believe we've gotten all the way to chapter 10, huh? But here it is! And please forgive the jumpy quality of this chapter; but we're covering several (and new) perspectives this time around (and setting up key future plot points [yes, I actually have a plot!]). Onward!**

* * *

101010

Crona looked around nervously. How was he supposed to deal with this? He didn't know how to deal with getting lost! And he certainly didn't know how to deal with losing Patty! What would Liz do when she learned he'd lost her sister? What would the teachers do when he was late to class, or _worse_; failed to show up all together? And what would _Maka_ do when he didn't turn up?

Okay, that last one he knew. She'd search for him, search the whole school for him; and get in trouble for leaving class to do it. And she wouldn't care. And THEN what would the teachers do?! He couldn't handle this! Crona leaned up against the nearest lockers, hands to his head as he tired to stop the panic attack like Maka taught him. He closed his eyes and emptied his mind, focusing solely on his breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out.

_Breathe, Crona._

In and out.

"Well, well, well; look who it is."

Crona looked up in pure panic when he saw the girl who'd gone up against Maka earlier. _Nononono._

She sneered at him and a big guy on at her side shoved Crona, his back hitting the lockers painfully. He winced and cowered. "Whatsa matter, _coward_? Not brave without your girlfriend around?"

Girlfriend? Crona didn't have a girlfriend, he didn't have any friends. Did she mean Maka? But Maka was his sister! _I'm so confused! I can't deal with this!_ "Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Leave me alone."

* * *

Medusa locked herself in her office with her best friend's diary, sequestering herself from all distractions, and delved into what Kami had been thinking in the last days and months of her life.

_I sit here in the study alone tonight. Well, not really, I guess. Spirit volunteered to drive Mizune home. My offer to go with them so we could both drop her off and save gas was, of course, vehemently denied. Those two, I swear. I'm pregnant, not glass; but would you know that by the way they both hover around me? Noooo. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to put up with this in the months to come, and I'm only four months along!_

_I imagine by the time the twins are ready to come out, they'll be just as ready to strangle Spirit and Mizune as I will. Mizune's a great friend, and Spirit's going to be a wonderful father, but it's bad enough to have a hovering husband; now I've somehow got a wife, too. As much as I want to, though, I can't really blame either of them. I mean Spirit and I have always wanted a baby, and I've never felt so fulfilled as providing a baby for Mizune when she can't have one herself. But this surrogacy is different than I'd thought it would be. Ah, well, you know what they say about expectations. Time to get these babies to bed. Good night!_

* * *

Maka was immediately nervous when Patty showed up without Crona, wringing her hands and tears in her eyes, "I lost him! We were together and then we went around the corner and there were people and when I reached for Crona's hand it wasn't there and he was _gone!_ I looked and looked and called but I couldn't find him anywhere!"

She tensed as Liz comforted her sister, "Want-"

"No, I'll do it. You two go on ahead." Maka didn't follow Liz into the classroom, staring blankly ahead. She didn't care that class was about to start again. She closed her eyes and focused on her brother, sending out her soul wavelength, feeling it sweep out through the halls of the school and ignoring everything that wasn't the single point of light that was Crona. _There!_ His soul was shivering in fear and twinges of pain.

Maka's eyes flashed open, furious, and she took off running.

* * *

"Can someone tell me why an emotionally or mentally unstable Death Weapon Meister shouldn't devour a Kishin Egg?" There was silence, and just as it seemed no one was going to try to answer, a hand raised. Stein adjusted his glasses, "Yes, Kid?"

"Because an emotionally or mentally weakened Meister is especially vulnerable, and devouring a Kishin soul when in such a state leaves them dangerously open to the Taint Maka described to us earlier."

Stein's usual playfulness absent, he took the time to stare each student in the eye for a moment, "_That_ is correct. Being a Meister is an extremely risky business. And that is one of the two great dangers we face out there everyday. Not only is it dangerous to you on a physical level -getting maimed or killed is always a chance- but also on the mental level. We go out and risk out lives, our souls, and our minds in order to keep the rest of the world safe.

"But it's also why we have teams. Some of you must have wondered by this point why it is we send you out in pairs and even teams. It's because if one of the team doesn't feel up to the challenge, either mentally or emotionally, of devouring the Kishin's soul, one of the others will always be there to step in."

* * *

Medusa hugged the closed diary to her chest and rocked back and forth. Kami had been pregnant, with twins; with Maka and Crona. One of them had been for her infertile friend, Mizune, and one for her and her husband. Something had changed, though. At some point between her pregnancy and the children's first memories, something drastic had changed.

And she was going to find out what. Medusa stood up and made her way out of the Infirmary: she had to talk to Lord Death about setting up a meeting with a certain redhead.

* * *

Crona curled up on the ground in front of the lockers, holding in his cries of pain as they shoved at him, nudged him with their feet, and tugged at his hair. _Maka, Maka, Maka. Ow, ow, ow! MAKA!_

He whimpered as he was lifted off the ground and held up, the latches on the lockers digging painfully into his back. The man pulled back his fist and Crona covered his face with his hands. When pain didn't immediately come, he peeked out between his fingers to see why, eyes widening at the sight that greeted him.

A smiling man stood behind the one that held him, not quite as tall, but still dwarfing Crona by over a foot, a calm smile on his cross-scarred face... and an enormous great sword held at the taller male's throat with seemingly no effort at all, "Think very carefully about your answer when I ask you this: are you sure you want to do that?"

The huge teen's hair was dark; almost black, and held back in a low tail. Icy silver eyes bored into suddenly timid brown, "Donna-"

"Is no longer part of the equation."

Crona lowered his hands just a little bit more to see the dark-haired girl passed out on the floor. The man holding him up gulped, the action causing his throat to press against the lethally sharp great sword and earn a nick, a rill of dark blood sliding down his neck.

"If I might make a suggestion?" the silver-eyed male said softly, "Put him down -_gently_, Death help you if he's further injured- then grab that piece of garbage and get the hell away from me before I decide to kill you both just for the fun of it."

Crona found himself set carefully on the floor, shaking and pressing back into the cold metal behind him. Then the man put his hands up, "Th-there. S-sorry, Ragnarok."

The other -_Ragnarok_- easily swung his great sword up and tapped it against his shoulder, seemingly in thought. Then his smirk turned vicious, "Not. Sorry. Enough." without hesitation, he kicked the man in his gut, doubling him over, then swung the sword -flatside- and the man slammed into the opposite wall hard enough to ruin the plaster, raising a cloud of dust and leaving a crater.

Ragnarok smiled, apparently happy with his work, and turned to Crona, his expression softening and his sword glowing golden before dematerializing, "You okay, there, Short Stuff? They didn't rough you up too bad, did they?" he reached out, pausing when he flinched, then slowly continued, so gently gripping his chin and turning his head to see a particularly colorful bruise, "Or maybe they did. Come on, I'll take you to the nurse."

"No! I- I m-mean..." _Think, Crona! Be Maka! What would Maka do?!_ She'd be calm, collected; warm but cold; kind but distant. He took a deep breath, "Um, I c-can't. I'm already late for class, and my s-sister is waiting for me. But! But th-thank you."

"You need those to be looked at. And I'm sure your sister would rather you get your injuries treated. Let me take you to the nurse."

Crona snatched at it life a lifeline, "We're Lady Medusa's! She can look at it later! Just take me to Maka; _please_! I don't know how to deal with being without Maka!"

Crona flinched at the heavy arm that draped across his shoulders, "Shh. Hush now, Short Stuff. What class are you?"

"A-1... Are you taking me to-"

"Maka, apparently." his savior answered dryly. "By the way, I'm Second-Level Ragnarok: Class K-5, South Tower 405, under Mifune."

Crona blinked, "Mifune? He's partners with Lady Medusa, I know him."

"And if you're Nurse Medusa's then that means you're in the East Tower, and that you're a First-Level."

"Level?"

"Training. Don't worry about it; you'll learn all about that in class. So, what's your name, anyway?"

The pinkette stared at the floor, "...C-"

"Crona!"

His head snapped up and he barely contained the tears that wanted to fall, "Maka!" He didn't even get the chance to move before he was wrapped safely in her arms and sobbing into her shoulder, their souls meshing and sharing the entire awful experience.

She looked up at the silver-eyed teen, "Thank you, Ragnarok."

He shrugged, "No problem... Maka?" he relaxed when she nodded.

They both stared at him in some confusion as he ushered them along to their classroom, finally putting their collective foot down when they were at the door and he was about to leave. Crona stopped him, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you save me?"

Ragnarok looked back at him and smiled, "See you around, Short Stuff."

Crona let his sister drag him into their classroom as the tall, tanned teen strode away.

Stein looked at them when they entered -his eyes touching on Crona's bruises but not lingering- and motioned to them to take their seats, "I'll excuse it this time. Don't get lost again."

They ducked into their places with low-muttered; 'Yes sir's and startled expressions when Tsubaki and Soul handed each of them a copy of the notes they'd taken in class so far. With looks of thanks, they settled down to listen to the rest of the lesson.

Another hand raised, "Professor, why should we do it? I mean, if it's so dangerous?"

Stein adjusted his glasses, "If any of you have the slightest hesitancy about putting yourselves in danger out there for others, this is the time for it. If at any point you feel like this is isn't something you can whole-heartedly do; I encourage you to transfer yourself to the NOT class. Putting ourselves at risk to keep the public safe is part of our duty, we are the last line of defense; the ones that stand between evil and the innocents it hunts, or we die trying.

"This is what we do: we are Death Weapon Meisters."

101010


End file.
